The Johnson Journal: 18 Months Old

Hannah is 18 months old today. Our beautiful little girl is a year and a half old already. Hannah is without question full of love, laughter, attitude, determination and as much fun as one can pack into a little toddler body. She is quirky, goofy, spunky and still a bit of a momma's girl. She will let you know her opinion in no uncertain terms and she definitely wants to do it all by herself.

*Schedule: Hannah is awake no later than 8:30 and usually closer to 8. Since school has been out for the summer, she has transitioned to just one nap a day. It is usually about 2 hours long, from 1-3. There are days though when we barely get an hour nap (those are not great days). Hannah goes to bed at 8 or a little after. I am so thankful she sleeps for 12 hours at night considering her nap time isn't always the greatest.

*Stats: Hannah was 25 lbs 8 oz and 32.5 inches long at her 15 month check-up. I weighed her today and she's between 28 and 29 pounds and I would guess at least 34 inches tall. We don't have her 18 month check up until July 11 but I'm guessing she will still be in the upper 90th percentiles for weight and height again. Hannah is wearing 18-24 month clothes and pajamas are 24 month or 2T size. Hannah's hair has finally started to come in more and much more in the last couple of weeks. It is very light blond and can still have a red cast to it occassionally. It's even long enough now that she gets a few little curls in the back.

*Food: No change here--Hannah loves to eat! She is quite particular about how she eats--she must now have a spoon and fork of her own and she would prefer to have regular silverware rather than little plastic forks and spoons we give her. I have to say that I am impressed with her skill at using both a fork and a spoon. Either lunch or dinner is a huge meal and sometimes both. She can still out eat Luke and I'm always amazed at how much she can fit in her little tummy. Her favorites: cheese, fruit (strawberries and raspberries), macaroni and cheese, peanut butter, yogurt, sweet potatoes and corn.

*Activities: Hannah LOVES to dance and sing. We have a bunch of dance parties around here. Hannah has yet to slow down--I don't think she ever will. Chase and tag are favorites now especially with Luke. Any toy that makes noise will grab her attention at least for a bit especially musical ones. Hannah is back into building towers and knocking them over. Drawing is still a big favorite. She also loves to be tickled, push her stroller around, carry around her dolls and play with Luke. Outside is the place to be for Hannah--swinging, going down the slide and a new big time favorite, the swimming pool. She is an absolute fish! We're working on blowing bubbles, kicking and she's already put her face in on her own a few times. Jumping in from the side of the pool is also lots of fun. Hannah is quite good at pouting. She will throw herself on the floor, tuck her arms under her tummy and pull her knees in as well. She then flips her head back and forth and tries to catch your eye to see if you're paying attention. Hannah also enjoys finding "trash" and throwing it away in the trash can.

*Mobility: I don't think there's much to say here other than she never stops moving.

*Favorites: When Hannah is tired or fussy, I am still most prefered but Hannah is definitely becoming a daddy's girl. The joy and excitement she exudes when Troy gets home from work are almost unparalleled. Big brother is obviously a favorite. Just the other night she gave Luke a hug and a kiss before bed all on her own. Man was Luke excited about that. Unfortunately, Hannah must have a cloth diaper with her where ever we go (just like her brother). She calls them bebe's. Hannah really enjoys looking at books. She doesn't want you to read them to her she just wants to flip through and look at the pictures. Unfortunately, Hannah is very hard on books and really likes to rip them apart.

(As a quick side note: I wish someone could explain to me why my children find sucking on cloth diapers so comforting. And Hannah didn't learn it from Luke--she started doing it when she was about 3 months old. Also, anyone with suggestions of how to rid them of this habit please leave me a comment.)

*Noises/Talking: Hannah's new words include: Grammy, Grandma, cheese, milk, more, down, outside, bird, squirrel, stinky, excuse me, repeating me over and over if she wants something, night night, sheepy (a new stuffed animal), book, swing, water and I'm sure several others I'm not thinking of. Hannah also babbles constantly and she sings Frere Jacques and we believe she has also started singing the ABC's. She also still makes this adorable blabber, blabber, blabber noise with her tongue that we all love.